Young batting sensation Shubman Gill has made an honest admission that he has not been able to live up to expectations in Test cricket and is raring to make an impact in the coming Test season for India. Shubman started his career as an opener in red-ball cricket at MCG against Australia in 2020, but last year, he asked the team management to bat at the number 3 position, where Cheteshwar Pujara used to bat. However, the move didn't work out well for him in the start, but things started clicking for them earlier this year during the Test series against England, where he scored 452 runs in 5 Tests, which included two centuries.

Gill wants to make the most of the 10 Test matches Team India will play in the next few months.

“In Test cricket, my performance has not matched my expectations so far. But we are going to play 10 Test matches this season, and when I look back after those 10 Tests, hopefully, my expectations will be matched,” Gill told PTI ahead of the Duleep Trophy.

Gill will lead Team A in the Duleep Trophy as the BCCI has decided to elevate him in the leadership group. He has already been appointed the vice-captain of Indian team in white-ball formats.

The 24-year-old talented batter has claimed that he has worked on his defence to tackle the spinners considering the spin-friendly conditions in India.

“I worked on my defence a little bit more against spinners. You should be able to defend a lot more when you are playing on a turning track against spinners, then you can play the scoring shots,” Gill said.

“With more T20s being played…I won’t say on flat tracks but on batting-friendly tracks, I think it takes away a little bit of your defensive game. So, that was my focus in the England series,” he added.

Recently, former India wicketkeeper batter said that Shubman will fill the big shoes of veteran Cheteshwar Pujara in Australian conditions during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

"Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan… both of those batters have done really well against England in the home series that took place at the start of the year. I have a feeling both of them will definitely be on that flight to Australia and will be trying to do their best. We will know whether they'll be able to replace Ajinkya and Pujara. Big shoes to fill but they have the quality and caliber in them," Karthik said while answering a question on Cricbuzz.

Important for the captain to have a connect with the players: Gill

Gill also emphasised on his growing maturity as a person and cricketer, which he directly linked to the captaincy stints of India and in the IPL with the Gujarat Titans.

“Every match or tournament that you play, you look to learn more about yourself irrespective of whether you are captain or not the captain. More so because of the captain you will get to know about other players too. It’s important for the captain to have a connect with the players.

“You should know their strength and weaknesses. Yeah, there are some changes in me especially when you are captain or vice-captain and having those conversations,” he elaborated.

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